Frau Feinstein, About That Freedom of Speech Thing...

I know that many people share in my position and fear that our Constitution is being eroded at a frightening pace.

When I step back and look at our progress into the abyss I am able, for just a moment, to fully understand the “dear in the headlights” phenomena; something that seems to be the preferred habitat of far too many Americans. On the one hand, I am frozen in fascination at the skill and deftness at which our “elected representatives” whittle away at the very foundation of this once great nation. On the other hand I am frightened almost to the point of immobility which is where many of us live. The operative word here is “almost.”

I thought I had seen every subtle slight of hand and dirty under the table trick that the Democratic / Socialist / Communist coalition has ever come up with and successfully executed.

And then just recently Frau Feinstein jumped out of the closet for all to see!

I was so taken aback that I went back and re-read this tidbit of literary prose:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Yes, that is the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Abridge: to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, authority, etc;

The issue that Frau Feinstein is attempting to address is the the so called “Shield Law”; a basic tenant of the free press which supports the position that a “reporter” cannot be forced to reveal their sources. The conundrum facing Frau Feinstein is just who does she get to classify as a “reporter” or a member of the “press.” And therein lies the rub. When “The Shield Law” was tested in the Supreme Court in 1972, the decision was 5/4 and was not a clear and absolute decision. Various states have enacted their own “Shield Laws,” which thankfully only muddies the water for Frau Feinstein. When most of these laws were passed, “The Press” was strictly limited to the printed word on paper. The advent of the internet set new paradigms to the meaning of the word “press."

In her very carefully structured presentation Frau Feinstein attempted to build a cage of words to define just who “qualifies” as a “journalist” and who does not. She uses the term “bone fide” many times in her pitch for state controlled press. According to a legal web site, “Bona fide refers to a quality of genuineness.” According to a a basic dictionary, “reporter” is one who reports. Frau Feinstein talks about employment arrangements and such nonsense. The bottom line is that she and her pals are trying to pass laws to circumvent the Constitution of the United States.

I am old enough to remember with great fondness one of the most popular and controversial figures in radio: Walter Winchell. According to Frau Feinstein’s criteria Walter Winchell would not qualify as a “bona fide” reporter; he left school in the sixth grade. Coincidentally, Walter Winchell was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1972; the same year that the Supreme Court made its nebulous ruling on the Shield Law.

The world knows that I am a Vietnam combat veteran; I saw an escalation of that war to its peak and the decent into defeat. And occasionally there would be an article in The Stars and Stripes - the military “news” paper - about the anti-war demonstrations back home stateside. And it was not uncommon for me to make the comment: That is what we are fighting for. At first people thought I was being sarcastic but in a short time they came to realize that I was speaking a simple truth. That IS what we were fighting for: The simple right for We The People to voice our dissatisfaction with the performance of our government.

Frau Feinstein made some veiled reference to Edward Snowden, the man currently hiding in Russia, fleeing charges for leaking classified information. That case is not even remotely related to Frau Feinstein’s efforts to throttle the free flow of information in the blogosphere. Some think of that young man as a hero, others as a traitor and many are just too numb to think at all. I have worked in that dark world of dark secrets for a large portion of my adult life. And like Ed Snowden I took an oath to protect those secrets from all who did not have the need to know. Interesting phrase that...”Need to know.”

Mr. Snowden took an oath. He broke that oath and he broke the law. He is now paying and will continue for the rest of his life to pay a price for that act. The price of freedom is not free.

In today's world there are many forms of “communications” that most of us find offensive; as a veteran flag burning is high on my list and the Wetboro Baptist Church nut cases come to mind. As a society we have the power to shut them down; like when the Patriot Guard protects the families of the fallen from those sick humans. And there are perhaps thousands of Walter Winchells out there who do an honest job of reporting the facts which may be unfavorable to the powers that be in Washington, or Carson City, or anyplace one might imagine. And it is that open communications which delivers the ultimate power to We The People.

Frau Feinstein is working hard to establish the New Nazi Nation of North America.

Restricting the freedom of speech and punishing those willing to stand and confront oppression is a very big step in that direction.

We The People are at war with our government; a war of ideals. Those who are in a position to share information with us today will do so in the future so long as they are secure in the knowledge that they will never be exposed. Limiting the application of the Shield Law to only those “certified” by the government does nothing more than to strengthen the government’s strangle hold on the free flow of information.

Yes, there is all sorts of misinformation planted on the web and the government believes that We The People are as equally ignorant as are the Eloy that support them. We are not. The government believes that IT “knows what is best for us.” It does not. The Government believes that We The People will simply lie down and acquiesce to their power. We will not!

What happened to the people having a say? A vote? In a disgusting display of tyrannical power tripping, a New Jersey gay marriage ruling on Friday proved that judges have no respect for law and precedent. Nor do they respect the will of the people. Those that sit on the bench and wear a robe are waging war on America, with the full support of a tyrannical Administration.

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About the AuthorDarwin Rockantansky

Darwin Rockantansky completed two combat tours in Vietnam before he was old enough to buy a beer. He's the son of a Korean War and Vietnam veteran. Darwin has also worked for the following: the Shah of Iran, then prince / now King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, SHAPE / NATO, Bush One, Reagan Two, Hollywood movie studios and an entrepreneur who started and operated his own software company for a couple of decades. Darwin is also an American Patriot and writes at Red Ink Flowing.